Portable house



RV heet PORTABLE HOUS eat Patented Nov. 12, 1889 IIHIIHINMI 4 Sheets-Sheet 3;

G.L. HARVEY.

PORTABLE HOUSE. No. 414,976. Patented Nov. '12, 1889.

(No Model.) 4 Shfets'Sheet 4.

G. L. HARVEY. PORTABLE HOUSE- No. 414,976. Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

N. PETERS. Phmuw mher. Wahm 55555 c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEoRGE L. -HARVEY, or oIIIoAGo, ILLINOIS.

PORTABLE HOUSE.

. SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent No. 414,976, dated November 12, 1889. Application filed February 21, 1889. Serial No. 300,723- (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. HARVEY, a

: citizen of the United States, residing in Ohicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois,

have invented certain new and useful Im provements in Portable Houses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to houses which are so constructed that they may bereadily taken down and transported from place .to place, and which are adapted to serve for summer houses, as temporary headquarters for con-v tractors, surveyors, and similar purposes; and my invention consists in the improved constructions, adaptations, combinations, and

- arrangements hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing the skeleton of a house (one end complete) built according to my methodand containing my improvements. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the sidewalls and roof extended and ready to be secured in position for use. Fig. 3 shows the same parts represented in Fig. 2 partially folded. Fig. 4 shows the same parts completely fOlClj ed and ready for transportation. Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the end wall of View of one of the end side sections.

' the house.

i of the roof structure.

'broken away. Fig. 12' shows a washer. forl Fig. 6 is a similar view of one of Fig. 7 is a similar Fig. 8 is a sectional view of an end roof-section, Fig. 9 is a transverse section through the cap Fig. 10 shows a turn buckle which I use in my construction. Fig.- 11 shows a tie-rod, a central section thereof the interior side sections.

7 said tie-rod. Figs. 13 and 14 show two forms i of battened joints which I'employ in joining the sections together to form the structure;

and Figs. 15 and 16 show side, roof, and floor sections hinged together, the first showing the parts partially and the secoud'completely folded. f

In carrying out my invention I prefer to construct'the side.walls,.ithe roof, and the floor of the house'in'. sections of convenient width and to hinge the floor-sections and roofsections to the side sections, the roof portions projecting inzthe usual manner to provide eaves, and being hinged together at their meeting ends in such a manner that they may be collapsed or folded with their outsides in contact, so as to rest between the side sections. The end sections I prefer to construct in suitable widths, which may be hinged together or secured by any suitable joint.

. The foundations of the building I prefer to construct of side and end sills havingsuitable cross-sills to support the floor-sections, the side sills being provided with mortises to receive the ends of braces secured to the side sections, and to anchor or tie'the upper portion of the structure together by means of tie-rods running longitudinally of the building, and braces for the roof-sections extended transversely to the tie-rods.

I have also provided a peculiar construction of saddle-boards for the roof, and have devised special forms of joints for the sec tions.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows two sections each comprising side-wall and roof portions hinged together, as above described,

one of the sections being an interior port-ion of the building and the other being adapted to form the ends of the side walls and roof.-

A A represent side-wall portions, and B B roof portions joined to the former by means of hinges D.

E E are side sills having mortises ctherein, I

framed with the end sills F and cross-sills G.

His a tie-rod, of which three may conveniently be used, one .at the apex of the roof and one at each of the'angles thereof with the side walls. These tie-rods H, Fig. 11, are preferably provided atone end with an eye it and at the other with a head H, and the stem of rod H passes through a suitable aperture in the end wall and projects to nearly 7 the length of the building, and another rod of like construction projecting from the opposite end wall of the building, and the two rods maybe connected together by means of the turnbuckle J, having the hooks j, as shown in Fig. 10. These tie-rods are drawn together by the turn -b uckle, thus clamping tightly the various sections of the building together. Each of the side and roof portions of the building-will, as before stated, be constructed 7 in sections, and each section may be composed of a plurality of timbers 01., provided with tongues and grooves, and end timbers b, which will have one plain edge. These timbers may be secured to cleats A, as many as necessary, the lower cleat being adapted to rest on the sills E. Each of the side sections are provided toward their lower ends with the feet or braces K, the free ends of which are adapted to enter the mortises e of the sills E.

L represents tie-rods for the roof, the ends of which may be bent at right angles and adapted to enter keepers Z, secured to the roof structure.

The strips or cleats to which the timbers of the roof-sections are secured will be so arranged as to clear the cleats of the side-wall sections when folded together, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

By referring to the detail figures, 5 to 8, inclusive, it will be seen that I have made special provision for forming tight joints at the angles of the structure, whereby also the parts are prevented from movement upon each other. In Fig. 5 the end wall is shown complete, the end timbers I) having abatten b secured flatwise upon their edges, so as to form the recess 00, which will receive the projecting end of the timber b of the end side section shown in Fig. 7, while in Fig. 8 is shown a detail of the roof structure at the end, wherein battens are so arranged as to provide a recess y to receive the ends of the vertical timbers of the end section, whereby the roof is firmly anchored to said end sections.

To prevent leaking at the apex of the roof, I prefer to employ the saddle-board M, which may be adapted to bestride the apex of the roof, and it may have the finish or molding m thereon. A cavity or recess M is formed on the interior of this saddle-board M just over the apex of the roof, and a spring-clamp O is secured in the recess M ,its arms being adapted to embrace the knuckle of the hinges D, which secure the roof-sections together, whereby the saddle-board is conveniently socured in place.

In Fig. 13 I have shown a joint for the sections composing the walls of the structure wherein the opposing faces of the timbers a, which are intended to be brought into contact, are cut at reverse angles to each other, and a groove 1) is formed in one of the timbers, in which is seated a tongue 19 of a batten P, the other edge of said batten being nailed or otherwise secured to the timber of the adjoining section. In Fig. 14 the same construction is used, except that the tongue 1) is omitted and a piece of flexible rubber, doubled, if desired, and indicated at q in said figure, is placed in the groove, the latter being secured to cover the rubber, the free edge of which will be pressed outwardly against the lower face of the batten.

In Figs. 15 and 16 I have shown floor-sections R, which will be of the same width as the side and roof sections and will have their lower ends hinged to the former, so as to fold up against them for transportation. These floor-sections will be of such length as to extend half the width of the building when unfolded.

In erecting a building constructed according to my invention it will be found expedient to first place the sills and cross-timbers and then erect thereon one or more of the hinged-roof and side sections, as indicated in Fig. 1. The end walls or one of them may then be erected, and then the interior formed by adding the sections one at a time. The tie-rods L support the sections and prevent their collapse until the keepers are secured in place. When all of the sections are set up, the rods H are put in place, and the tightening up of these tie-rods by means of the turnbuckles operates to draw the upper portion of the structure tightly together, closing all the joints, and thus providing a strong, compact, and well-built house at small expense, and one which is easily taken apart and transported from place to place, as before described.

I claim- 1. In a portable house'having its side walls and roof each composed of a plurality of sections, the combination of side sections and roof-seotions hinged together, said roof-sec-' tions being hinged to each other, substantially as described.

2. In a portable house having its sidewalls and roof each composed of a plurality of sections, the combination of side sections and roof-sections hinged together, said roof-sections being hinged to each other, and floorsections hinged to the side sections, all of said sections adapted to be folded, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a portable house having its side walls and roof each composed of a plurality of sections, the combination, with side sections and roof-sections hinged together, and said roofsections hinged to each other, of sills provided with mortises, and bracing-feet adapted to be secured at one end to the side sections toward their bottoms and to have a bearing at their other ends in said mortises, substantially as described.

4. In portable houses composed of a plurality of sections each comprising side portions and roof portions hinged to each other, sills to support the lower ends of the structure, and tie-rods to secure the upper portions of the structure together, substantially as described.

5. In portable houses, the combination, with the side walls and roof, each composed of a plurality of sections, of removable end walls, and tie-rods adapted to anchor the end walls together, said tie-rods comprising end sections to be secured to said end walls, and a middle section composed of a turn-buckle, substantially as described.

6. In a portable house having its side Walls cured in said groove, and a batten secured to and roof each composed of a plurality of seccover said groove and the joint between the :o tions, the wall-sections and roof-sections besections, substantialiyas described. ing hinged together and said roof-sections A 5 hinged to each other, the meeting edges of GEORGE L. HARVEY.

the side sections being beveled at reverse an- Witnesses: v gles, and the face of one of said sections be- 0. C. LINTHIOUM, ing provided with a groove,'a rubber strip se- F. D. BUTLER. 

